Shock at tragic death of young Erris woman

CHERISHED MEMORY Barry Doherty and his late fiancée Majella Donoghue pictured after their engagement in South Africa. Pic: Facebook

Fiance posts final photo of couple together as body is yet to be released

Anton McNulty

A SMALL close-knit community on the Mullet Peninsula is still struggling to come to terms with the tragic death of a 30-year-old woman, who died shortly after becoming engaged.
Majella Donoghue from Tirrane, Clogher, Belmullet, died after taking ill on a flight home from South Africa on Sunday last. Her fiance Barry Doherty, from Ballina, had proposed to her on their holiday to South Africa.
Ms Donoghue became ill on their flight to from Capetown to London Heathrow. On arrival at Heathrow, Majella was rushed by ambulance to hospital but she died later that day.
A week following the tragedy, her body has yet to be released to her family, but it is hoped that her remains will be released in the next day or two. The postmortem into her death was completed over the weekend, and while the results have not been made public, it was reported that she may have suffered a blood clot on her lung.
In recent days, her heartbroken fiance Barry Doherty posted a poignant photograph of the couple’s final photograph together while on holiday in South Africa.
He wrote, “Lovely photo when we picked up the engagement ring which was hand-made for Majella in Cape Town. Our last photo together she was so happy.”

Shockwaves
The news of her death sent shockwaves across Erris as the local community visited her family home to comfort Majella’s mother Mary, her twin brother Stephen, brothers Tommy, David and Brendan and sister Angela.
Sinn Féin Senator Rose Conway-Walsh, who is a neighbour of the Donoghue family, said the community was devastated by Majella’s death and was still finding the news hard to believe.
“It was going to be such an exciting time for Majella and her fiance. Their whole life was in front of them after getting engaged, and now that has been taken away,” said Senator Conway-Walsh.
“The community is in absolute shock to lose a beautiful young woman like this. There is such sadness, and my heartfelt sympathy goes to the family.
They are a lovely family,” she added. “I’ve no idea how a family can cope with something like this. It is tragically sad and unbelievable. The community will be there to support the family in this awful time.”
Majella worked in Galway city with Boston Scientific and she previously worked with a charity in Vietnam. She was predeceased by her father, Willie.
Local priest, Fr John Loftus said that the community has been left numbed by the sudden death of a woman who he described as ‘pleasant, considerate and kind’.
Local county councillor, Gerry Coyle expressed his sympathy to the Donoghue family at last week’s meeting of Mayo County Council. He recalled fond memories of Majella when she worked at Costcutters supermarket in Belmullet and said she was highly thought of, very approachable.
Funeral arrangements will not be made until Ms Donoghue’s remains are released to her family.